A.R.
October 10, 2009 / 00:03

Playing soccer on grass is just more respectable.

Paul
October 10, 2009 / 04:33

I don't want to start a fight, I support TFC and all that, but we ARE paying for this. BMO was built with something like $50 mil in taxpayers money with the intent that the field would be a shared use facility. MLSE paid the remaining $10 mil or so, and is paying about $3 mil to move the dome from BMO to Lamport so that it can be used as an indoor facility.

The reality here, is that lamport could have been upgraded by the city as well, and for a lot less than was paid to build BMO. MLSE now has (essentially) exclusive use of BMO.

Do I have a conflict of interest here, yes. I play at BMO as part of the shared use condition. The benefit to turf is that it can be used year round. The shared use of BMO amounted to almost 7000 hours last year.

elvis
October 10, 2009 / 06:22

@Paul - without BMO Field, the city never gets the Under 20 World Cup or TFC. You would also not get a bubble at Lamport. That's not even to mention the millions of $$$ in positive economic impact each game day as a result.

Now, after the initial investment, you will have more options to play indoor soccer both at Lamport and BMO (it will still have public use time).

Tee
October 10, 2009 / 08:48

Professional sports do not create an economic benefit. It merely changes how entertainment budgeted dollars are spent. And since the athletes tend not to live in the city that they play in, pro sports can actually lead to an economic drain. Plenty of academic studies have shown this.

elvis
October 10, 2009 / 09:15

No one has ever studied my spending habits. I have a $696 bill for 2010 TFC season tickets sitting on my desk right now that I would NOT be spending otherwise on entertainment in Toronto. While at a game, I buy beer, hot dogs, water, merchandise and park. I don't buy your argument Tee.

Also, most TFC players live in Toronto, close enough to ride their bike or walk even as the salaries aren't at the level of other professional sports.

Pat
October 10, 2009 / 11:47

Got grass?

Smoke it if ya got it!

Curious
October 10, 2009 / 11:54

Paul, does this natural grass change mean less time for amateur athletes at BMO Field?

Paul
October 10, 2009 / 12:03

@Curious - yes. It will mean that there will be no indoor community use of BMO during the winter, and a significantly reduced amount during the spring-fall. I believe the numbers I saw quoted were down to 300-600 hours per year from 7000.

If you've ever played on one of Toronto's fantastic high school fields, or even Riverdale, you've probably seen why. If the grass got used as much as the turf then it would end up like a giant rock hard brown sheet.

elvis
October 10, 2009 / 22:04

What it does mean is the number of hours available overall in the city to amateur athletes actually goes UP, just not at the BMO Field location.

A.R.
October 11, 2009 / 15:57

"Also, most TFC players live in Toronto, close enough to ride their bike or walk even as the salaries aren't at the level of other professional sports."

True, but I could see other professional athletes living around their home sports facility. Downtown condos have a lot to offer.